Why You Should Use Direct Mail to Market Your Local Business

July 21, 2015

If there is one type of marketing perfect for reaching your closest neighbors, it’s direct mail. If you’re on Twitter or your Facebook page right now, staring at thousands of followers, convincing you that digital marketing isn’t your best bet might be tough. Let’s take a look at how direct marketing could help you get those followers out and into your place of business.

Reach Real Prospects

The moment you open a Facebook company page or start a Twitter account, you have the ability to reach people from all over the world. When you run a local business, people from all over the world are not your target audience. Sure, if they’re ever visiting your city, they might take a moment to stop in, but for real, true (and returning) customers, you need to reach the people in your own back yard.

Direct mail lists can target those customers right there in your general area. Whether you reach out to your closest neighbors or widen the net to include your whole city, the result is the same: actual customers who are within driving distance of your business. Just remember to include information about your social media accounts on your postcards and flyers so those customers can follow you online, too.

Lower Your Cost Per Lead

However “free” social media marketing may seem, the truth is that direct mail still has the lowest cost per lead than any other type of marketing. Why? Because time is money, especially when you’re trying to run a small business. If you’re spending all your time on “free” social networks trying to drum up customers, you’re cutting into time that could be spent elsewhere.

Instead of trying to reach those followers from around the globe, put your time and money into a creative, targeted direct mail campaign. The money you spend on design, printing, and postage will come back to you when those customers start walking through the doors.

Create Powerful Campaigns

Advertising your local business on social media only reaches those who already follow you. That means you’re not likely to get new people through the doors without shaking up your marketing strategy. Reach out and introduce yourself to your neighbors with a great discount that’s good only for locals.

By doing so, you get your business in front of brand new eyes and provide incentives to people who can actually use them. This is so much more powerful than social media or email blasts that simply can’t be redeemed.

If you’d like to learn more about growing your local business, we’re always here to help. We can show you how an integrated direct mail and digital marketing strategy can expand your reach and improve your bottom line. Reach out any time to learn more about our direct mail marketing campaigns.